Particulate Matter Concentrations In A Middle Eastern City - An Insight To Sand And Dust Storm Episodes

In this study, the particulate matter mass (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations we measured during May 2018-March 2019 in an urban atmosphere of Amman, Jordan. The results showed that the annual mean PM10 concentration was 64 +/- 39 mu g m(-3) and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.8 +/- 0.2. According to the Jordanian Air Quality standards (JS-1140/2006), the observed PM10 annual mean value was below the limit value but that of the PM2.5 was three times higher than the corresponding limit value. However, both exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values. In a larger perspective, the annual mean PM10 concentrations in Jordan were lower than what was reported in other cities in the Middle East but were higher when compared to other Mediterranean cities. During the measurement period, Jordan was affected by Sand and Dust Storm (SDS) episodes on 14 days. The source origins of these dust outbreaks were traced back to North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Levant. The 24-hour PM10 concentrations during these SDS episodes ranged between 108 and 188 mu g m(-3), which was about 3-6 times higher than the mean values during clean conditions (similar to 33 mu g m(-3)).